Just a little nudge
by Landon Richardson
Summary: Sometimes all that is needed is a simple little nudge in the right direction (Part Four of the Medical examiner, McDanni (Featuring female OC Danni), One shot)


Just a little nudge

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

**Please note that the characters of Steve McGarrett, Mary McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Catherine Rollins do not belong to me in any shape of form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

**The character of Danielle 'Danni' Richardson, however does belong to me so please do not use them without first asking and obtaining permission.**

**Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise the name of probably belongs to me as well**

**Thank you**

Author Note

**Welcome to 'Just a little nudge' part Four of the Medical Examiner Saga**

**I decided to put this up today since it's my birthday as a gift from me to you guys lol.**

**This story is set around two months after 'This isn't a date'**

**I haven't forgotten the other stories and while it may appear that I'm focusing solely on new stories, I promise I'm not. The Medical Examiner saga was originally going to be a single chapter story but I decided last minute to make it into a group of one shot instead.**

**Anyway, please enjoy part one.**

Story Summary

**Sometimes all that is needed is a simple little nudge in the right direction (Part Four of the Medical examiner, McDanni (Featuring female OC Danni), One shot)**

Romantic pairings

**Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danielle Richardson (McDanni)**

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Part Four of the Medical Examiner Saga

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"Okay, come on, tell me what is going on in that head of yours Steve because you've been looking really preoccupied over the last couple of days to the point that you haven't even lectured me about cleaning up after myself the instant you spot any form of mess in the house."

Steve McGarrett blinked, looking up from his plate of half-eaten toast to focus on his younger sister who was seated opposite him on the island counter, her hands wrapped around a mug of what he assumed, given the fact it was early in the morning, was her normal first hit of coffee. The expression on her face was one of annoyance and concern mingled into one and an expression which he was used to seeing.

"Wait, are you actually complaining about the fact that I haven't been nagging you Mary because that would be the first time you've ever done that., should I be the one asking you if you're okay?" He countered with a single raised eyebrow.

"Don't turn this around on me Steve, I asked you my question first which means that you should do the decent thing and answer me before you start asking questions of your own. That's one of the primary rules of the household." She told him; a firm note to her voice which was often lacking.

"The primary rule of the household?" Steve repeated with a frown. "I wasn't aware of that rule, which given the fact that this is my household, you would have thought I would have been well versed in it."

"The fact that you don't know the rules isn't my problem Steve. You've heard of it now which means that you have to at least abide to it while I am living in this house. Enough of trying to side track me though, just answer my question."

Steve opened his mouth to point out the fact to Mary that she was actually a guest in his house and that was only because he had taken pity on her and allowed her to stay when she had come running to Hawaii from LA but decided quickly that saying something like that wasn't the best way to handle the situation. If he said that to her, or something in a similar vein, then it would simply cause an argument between them which was something which he could seriously do without when his thoughts were already chaotic and racing all over the place.

"Okay, fine." He said instead after a long pause. "What was the question which you asked me which you want an answer to? I'm all ears." He assured her as he twisted slightly in his seat so he could face her head on, meeting her green eyes directly. She looked briefly surprised as though she had expected him to argue against answering her before she clearly pulled herself together, setting her shoulders and speaking.

"What I want to know Steve is what it is that is making you so preoccupied recently; you've barely spoken over the past two nights and it clear to anyone with a pair of eyes that something is troubling you and making you act this way. It might actually help you if you spoke to someone about it rather than bottling it in like you're Dad or something. You can talk to me or if that is too awkward for you then surely you can speak to one of your friends about it. I'm assuming you do have some littered around the place, right?" She asked him in a teasing manner which he picked up on instantly, recognising it as his sister's attempt to lighten the mood slightly.

"It's… it's a complicated issue Mary." He said finally on a sigh, resting his elbow on the counter top and giving in briefly to the temptation of resting his head in his hands, trying to ignore the mild throbbing pain in his head which warned him of an impending headache.

"Well luckily for you Steve, I happen to do complicated issues extremely well and am extremely well versed in them so hit me with the issue and let's see if we can figure it out for you, right here and now." She stated, clapping her hands together, the remark and action causing Steve to let out a startled laugh as he lowered his hands so he could look at her again.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin with it all Mare." Steve confessed.

"Well Aunt Debs has always said that the best place to start with any story is right at the very beginning, if you start from there then the rest will follow naturally. So, based on that, lets try and narrow down on the cause and take it from there. Is the issue which is bothering you something to do with your job or a case you're currently on?"

"No everything to do with the taskforce is fine at the moment." Steve answered with a shake of his head. "I mean don't get me wrong, it's a hard job and it's stressful but I knew it would be like that when I signed on for the job in the first place."

"Okay so work is a no on the list of what it could be which is good since that is probably the one thing, I couldn't help you on. What about the people you work with? Is everything okay with them?" Mary pressed, an almost careful note to her voice as though she was worried about pushing him too far and being shot down by him.

"Nothing with them either." He replied with a shake of his head, casting his mind back to the members of his team and once again sending up a silent prayer of thanks that he had met them and recruited them onto the taskforce. It had taken a few months for them all to gel together properly as a team but now that they had, they were working together in the way which Steve had always suspected they would, covering each other's weaknesses and emphasising their strengths.

"Good, so that is a second thing which we can strike off, so its not work or your teammates." Mary mused thoughtfully out loud, biting on her lower lip until she let it go and looked back at him. "What about Danny then?" She queried.

"Danny?" Steve repeated, his heart beat picking up in speed at the mere mention of the name.

"Yeah Danny, your partner, you remember him, right? The loud, blond guy from New Jersey who is happiest when he's complaining, insists on wearing ties even though anyone with half a brain would realise within a day that it was too hot to wear them here and constantly eats all the peppermint patties from the freezer every time he comes around for a visit."

"Ah, right that Danny." Steve said with a grin at the description his sister had used to describe his best friend.

"Yep, that's the one." She confirmed with a nod

"No, everything is the same with him as usual, he's still the best, if most annoying partner I've had." He admitted, safe in the knowledge that Danny would never hear what he said.

"If he was here now then I'm pretty sure this would be the point that he would tell you that he is technically the only partner which you've had and that your time with the Army doesn't count." She pointed out to him with a grin which grew when he rolled his eyes at her.

"Navy, it's the Navy Mary, you've clearly been spending way too much time with Danny if you're starting to pick up his habits."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." She replied, falling silent as she drummed her fingertips against the side of her mug, looking deep in thought for a moment before she spoke. "So, if it's none of the obvious things then is it something to do about your Thursday thing?"

"Thursday?" Steve repeated with a frown at her.

"Yep, Thursday, you know the day which comes after Wednesday and is before Friday?" Mary pointed out blandly before her voice changed again becoming more thoughtful. "I've been living here six weeks now and every Thursday without fail you come back from work late and when you do come back you never eat which means that you've eaten out and on top of that, you seem happy and content on those days which isn't exactly something which I'm used to seeing from you."

"Oh Thursdays" Steve said, keeping his face expressionless though from the way his sister's face lit up, he had clearly failed in his attempt.

"Okay, okay, now this is looking promising, clearly we are beginning to get somewhere. So, whatever it is which is bothering you it clearly has something to do with the Thursday thing."

"Perhaps I should hire you to come and work at Five-O since you've clearly inherited some of Dad's Detective skills which you've been keeping hidden from me all this time." Steve commented mildly, his mouth tilting up into a small smile when Mary laughed at his comment even as she shook her head at him.

"If I came to work for you then we would end up killing with each other before the first week had even ended." She stated honestly before her eyes narrowed slightly at him. "And don't think that you can distract me now that we're on the right track. We aren't leaving this kitchen until we're at the bottom of this and thought of a solution."

"I wouldn't dream of it Mare." Steve replied, hearing the amusement in his voice as he picked up his own mug and took a sip of the lukewarm coffee.

"Glad to hear it" She stated before continuing to speak. "So probably the first thing I need to know is who you're with on Thursdays because I'm guessing, and correct me if I'm wrong, that you're with someone when you're out." She asked him with an expectant look on her face.

For a moment Steve considered shutting the whole conversation wanting to keep the details of his Thursday evening private but he stopped himself. If he did that then his sister would merely become more adamant in her attempt to find out the truth behind it. On top of that he knew, though often he was loath to admit it, that Mary regularly gave out good advice.

"I'm out with Danni on Thursday nights." He admitted after a pause.

"So, you're out with your partner? I thought that you said that…"

"No" Steve interrupted her with a sigh. "I can see why you would leap to that conclusion but I'm not talking about my partner Danny. I'm with Danni, as in Danielle Richardson who is the chief Medical Examiner for the state of Hawaii. She is the one who I spent my Thursday nights with, we go for dinner with each other."

For a moment Mary stared at him before she sighed, raising her eyes towards the ceiling as though she was asking to be granted strength.

"Only you Steve could manage to be dating someone with the female version of your partner's name." She remarked, sounding pained for a moment before she shook her head and lowered her eyes, looking back up when Steve spoke.

"They aren't dates, its just two work colleagues who happen to go out together to have a bite to eat and to talk about the week." He corrected her with a shrug.

"Right." Mary replied, drawing out the word. "Well let me ask you this Steve. Do you go out together every Thursday without fail to the point that both of you purposely keep the evening free, refusing to make plans with anyone else on that day?" She asked him, continuing to speak when he gave her a single, reluctant nod. "And do you take it in turn to pick somewhere to eat and to share the cost of the cheque or one of you pay for the whole meal and maybe on those Thursdays do you find yourself making more of an effort when it comes to your appearance?"

"I suppose so." He replied, raising an eyebrow when Mary snorted at him. "What is it?" He demanded.

"I hate to be the one who has the spell out the blindingly obvious to you big brother but you and this Danni are dating each other whether you call it dating or not. Is that what is preoccupying you?"

"It's partially to do with that." Steve admitted, gripping his mug tightly.

"Good, now that we've almost got the problem down, we can sort out a solution to it." She said with a smile. "Tell me more about what is bothering you, the more facts I have, the better my advice can be."

"Fine, my issue is that Catherine called me a couple of days ago to tell me that she's coming to the island to see me because they've been granted some shore leave." He explained to Mary who made a knowing sound at the back of her throat.

"Now things are beginning to make sense." She commented with a nod. "You're preoccupied because you're worried about Catherine's impeding visit. I'm guessing that you've got some kind of arrangement together so when she visits it tends to end up with you having sex with each other which is normally fine but now that you have this thing going with Danni, you're worried that if anything does happen with Catherine and it gets back to Danni then it could ruin what the two of you are slowly building together?"

"That's… that's exactly it." Steve admitted, shooting his sister an impressed look.

"There's no need for that look or for you to sound so surprised Steven, do you think that Mom and Dad's brain power only went to you and skipped me by?" She grumbled, giving him a half-hearted glare before she turned serious again. "The way I see it, you have two options which are available to you. The first is that you call Danni tomorrow and ask her to meet you for a coffee and then when she's there ask her straight out what the two of you are doing, explain to her that you want more and want to make it official and then if she agrees you're sorted and if she doesn't then at least you know that she just wants to be friends and you can have your fun with Catherine without any guilt attached to it." She suggested.

"And what about the second option you mentioned?" Steve queried after a moment when she remained silent, merely watching him closely.

"The second option is that you admit to yourself how you feel and you call Catherine and tell her that you've met someone who you have fallen hard for, who you are dating and who you want to remain with because you need to see how the relationship between the two of you goes. Tell her that you're sorry for not telling her about the relationship sooner but let her know that you still want to be friends though friendship is all you can offer her now and let her make a decision about whether she still want to come to the island to see you if sex is off the table." Mary told him before her eyes narrowed again. "There is of course an option three."

"Yeah? What exactly would option three be then?" Steve asked as he picked up his forgotten toast and took a bite, needing the distraction as he waited for Mary to speak. She didn't keep him waiting long.

"You be brave and you combine both options together. You need to find out where you and Danni stand with one another because until you have that conversation with her then you'll always have doubt and if she tells you that she's not ready then you keep being there for her and letting her know with your actions and words that you're ready to be with her once she s ready. I would also call Catherine regardless of how the chat goes and tell her how it is because it's clear that your heart lies with Danni now and it would be a seriously dickish move to keep using Catherine when she isn't the one you want, especially as she's meant to be your friend first. If you're honest with her then she should understand even if she's disappointed. She'd respect you telling her the truth."

"Yeah, you're right" Steve agreed lowly.

"Wait, can you say that again but this time a bit louder Steve so I can record you saying that I am right over something so I can play it back to you the next time you decide to lecture me about something" She asked him, making a show of sighing loudly in disappointment when he shook his head at her.

"No way but how about I take you out for dinner tonight as a thank you? You can pick the place as long as its within reasonable and I'll pay." He offered as he came to his feet, rolling his eyes when she gasped and clutched at her heart.

"Wow, just who are you and what have you done with my older brother?" She demanded before grinning at him. "In all seriousness though I would like that Steve. What are you going to do now?" She asked him, grinning when he left the room, calling his response over his shoulder at her.

"I have a phone call to make."

"Of course, you do." She murmured to herself. "Go and get her big bro."

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Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it. **

**I really appreciate it**


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